It is February 2019 as Calico by Lee Goldberg opens and Beth McDade is in Barstow, California. Not that she ever wanted to be there, but in the here and now, she is doing time in exile. Things went bad for her in Los Angeles. There was a media driven firestorm and she had to leave the police department in disgrace.
After the
scandal hit the media fan, her name and reputation in the minds of many meant
that it was almost impossible to get a job. She finally did with the San
Bernardino County Sheriff’s department and is a detective. She is assigned to the
substation in Barstow and is on call almost always, even when off duty. It
means that even when she has spent the previous few hours drinking at a local
place where everybody knowns your business, and she is currently in bed with a
man from the bar, she still gets called out to bodies.
Like when a
couple in a RV hit somebody who ran out in the road in front of them. That just
happened outside of Peggy Sue’s in nearby Yerno. A roadside diner, it is part
of string of small places clustered there at the highway, and is the last stop
for gas or a remnant of civilization until one gets to Baker, about fifty miles
to the east across yet more desert.
The deceased
might have been homeless considering his clothing and general appearance. The
couple claim that there was lightning storm in the sky and then a boom from the
nearby Marine base. The driver looked over to see what was happening and when
he looked back, the guy was screaming and running right out in the road in
front of him. The husband and wife are very upset.
According to
Sheriff’s Deputy Willits, who was first on the scene, the breath analyzer
indicates neither one has been drinking. He is ready to write it off as an accident.
While Deputy Willits
is sure it was an accident and Deputy Beth McDade would tend to agree, she does
have some questions. Why was he running across the parking lot of the diner in
terror seconds before impact. Why does he have some items on his person that
have not been seen in decades? Why did the Security Chief for the Marine Corps
Logistic Base nearby, Bill Knox, showed up on scene, ask her some questions,
and then bald faced lied to her.
This is the
first of several cases, a couple of which are interlinked, that become her
focus in Calico by Lee Goldberg. This police procedural features
adult language, adult situations including sexual intimacy, and is not for
everyone. It is also very complicated and well worth your time. Cases from the
past and the present are worked by a detective that does her job and more as
she pursues answers and justice.
This reviewer is deliberately ignoring a major chunk of the story as to not cause any spoilers. This is a read that will bend your mind and is well worth your time. Calico by Lee Goldberg is very good.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4cX8wbE
My reading copy came by way of Severn House and a NetGalley ARC. There was no expectation of a review. The book releases on November 7th.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2023
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